[[Image:Ancestral File.png|thumb|right|250px]]Ancestral File is a computerized collection of genealogies that links families into pedigrees, showing ancestors and descendants. It contains information for about 40 million people from throughout the world. It shows individuals’ names, family relationships, dates and places of birth, marriage, and death. Ancestral File was created from thousands of user submitted pedigree charts, family group sheets, and [[GEDCOM]] files. Submissions were merged to eliminate duplication and submitted corrections were applied to eliminate errors.<br>

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The&nbsp;information&nbsp;found in&nbsp;the original Ancestral File is now part of the FamilySearch database. It contains lineage-linked names and other genealogically important information, such as&nbsp;the dates and place names for the&nbsp;birth, marriage, or death of millions of individuals. Ancestral File contains submissions from all around the world. Names are organized into family groups and pedigrees. Because of privacy laws, personal information about living individuals will not be displayed.

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*The current site contains 40 million, 5 million more than the previous website.

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*Information is not displayed for living individuals, including submitters.<br>

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*Pedigree charts will soon be supported.<br>

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Records in the Ancestral File were submitted by patrons who often provided contact information. Most of these records were submitted before 1991, so the contact information for many submitters may be out of date or the person who submitted the original information may no longer be living. Because of that, some of the contact information may no longer be accurate.&nbsp;

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= When to Use It =

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Data that was submitted to Ancestral File does not include notes and source information. Submissions that were added to Ancestral File have been merged with other data files, some of which&nbsp;were submitted by&nbsp;other submitters. Additions and corrections to the data&nbsp;from the orginal Ancestral File is no longer possible. Data in the File has not been verified and should only be used as a starting point for additional research.

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Use Ancestral File when more current information is not available in the new FamilySearch Tree or [[Pedigree Resource File]] (PRF). Ancestral File has significant limitations (see below), so better information is often available in these other resources.

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Each record in Ancestral File is given a unique Ancestral File Number (AFN). The existence of an AFN in the source field of a FamilySearch record indicates that some or all of the information came from the Ancestral File. The AFN number is often useful when merging duplicate records, because a matching AFN indicates a high probability that the record is a duplicate. Some genealogy programs, such as Personal Ancestral File&nbsp;([[PAF and Other Genealogy Organizers|PAF]]), can automatically merge duplicate AFNs.

To access Ancestral File, either [https://beta.familysearch.org/#form=trees '''click here'''], or follow these steps:

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User submitted trees such as Ancestral File, the new FamilySearch Tree, and [[Pedigree Resource File]] contain second hand information. Use the information from user submitted trees to guide searches to authoritative records like birth certificates, church records, and other eye-witness accounts.

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#Go to FamilySearch.org

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= Limitations =

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#Click on the&nbsp;Family Trees&nbsp;link&nbsp;

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#Type in your query - the results will include Ancestral File results

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[[Category:Personal_Ancestral_File]]

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The Ancestral File has several key limitations.

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*It contains no notes or sources.

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*Submitters are responsible for the accuracy of the information. FamilySearch did not check the accuracy of any submission.

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*Submitter information, previously available, is now hidden for privacy reasons.

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*Ancestral File contains many errors and corrections are not accepted.

If you have not been able to find what you are looking for, consider the following:

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*The name of the person you want may not have been contributed to the file, or the person may have been living when submitted.

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*The person you want may have been submitted to another program, such as the new FamilySearch Tree, or the [[Pedigree Resource File]] (PRF).

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*The person may be listed more than once, each time with different information. Look at the information available for each search result.

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*The name may be listed in a different way in the file.

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*The spelling of the person’s name may be unexpected. Perform the search with Exact matching turned off.

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*There may be other unexpected information. Look for variations in names, dates, and places.<br>

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= Frequently Asked Questions =

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'''How do I contribute to Ancestral File?'''

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Submissions are no longer accepted for Ancestral File. New family history databases should be submitted to the [[Pedigree Resource File]].

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'''How do I correct errors in Ancestral File?'''

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Corrections are no longer accepted for Ancestral File. Corrections should be made to the new FamilySearch Tree.

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'''How accurate is Ancestral File?'''

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The information in Ancestral File is a composite of information from many different contributors which may include some discrepancies and duplication. Some people may have contributed incorrect or incomplete information. Errors may have been introduced when paper submissions were typed into the computer. FamilySearch does not verify the accuracy of information in Ancestral File.

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'''Are living people included in Ancestral File?'''

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Ancestral File does not display information about living people. People born less than 95 years ago who do not have a death date in the file are considered living.

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'''How do I contact submitters to Ancestral File?'''

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For privacy reasons, the online version of Ancestral File does not display personal information about submitters. Instead, Ancestral File displays an identifier composed of parts of submitters' names followed by 7-digit numbers. The CD-ROM version and previous online versions of the Ancestral File displayed submitter names and contact information.

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The DOS version of Ancestral File, where available, includes contact information for submitters. The DOS&nbsp;version is currently available on four computers on the 3rd floor of the [[Family History Library]] in Salt Lake City and in [[Family History Centers|FamilySearch centers]].

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{{Tip|Many people who submitted information to Ancestral File are now deceased.}}

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'''What is an Ancestral File Number (AFN)?'''

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An Ancestral File Number was assigned to every record that was published in Ancestral File. If you know the Ancestral File Number, you can use it to search the Ancestral File for the individual. You can also search the new FamilySearch Tree using an Ancestral File Number.

Family History Department, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ''FamilySearch: Using Ancestral File. ''Brochure. Salt Lake City, Utah: 2000.

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Fidel, Steve. “[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8NMiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GewDAAAAIBAJ&dq=%22Ancestral%20File%22&pg=3239%2C3814738 Genealogy Site is a Hit—7 Million Times a Day].” ''Deseret News'', 22 May 1999, p. E-1.

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“[http://lds.org/ensign/2000/02/news-of-the-church?lang=eng News of the Church].” ''Ensign'', February 2000.

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[[Category:FamilySearch]]

Revision as of 16:08, 2 January 2013

Ancestral File is a computerized collection of genealogies that links families into pedigrees, showing ancestors and descendants. It contains information for about 40 million people from throughout the world. It shows individuals’ names, family relationships, dates and places of birth, marriage, and death. Ancestral File was created from thousands of user submitted pedigree charts, family group sheets, and GEDCOM files. Submissions were merged to eliminate duplication and submitted corrections were applied to eliminate errors.

The current site contains 40 million, 5 million more than the previous website.

Information is not displayed for living individuals, including submitters.

Pedigree charts will soon be supported.

Contents

When to Use It

Use Ancestral File when more current information is not available in the new FamilySearch Tree or Pedigree Resource File (PRF). Ancestral File has significant limitations (see below), so better information is often available in these other resources.

User submitted trees such as Ancestral File, the new FamilySearch Tree, and Pedigree Resource File contain second hand information. Use the information from user submitted trees to guide searches to authoritative records like birth certificates, church records, and other eye-witness accounts.

Limitations

The Ancestral File has several key limitations.

It contains no notes or sources.

Submitters are responsible for the accuracy of the information. FamilySearch did not check the accuracy of any submission.

Submitter information, previously available, is now hidden for privacy reasons.

As previously mentioned, information in Ancestral File is second-hand. Verify the information before accepting it.

Tips for Searching Ancestral File

If you have not been able to find what you are looking for, consider the following:

The name of the person you want may not have been contributed to the file, or the person may have been living when submitted.

The person you want may have been submitted to another program, such as the new FamilySearch Tree, or the Pedigree Resource File (PRF).

The person may be listed more than once, each time with different information. Look at the information available for each search result.

The name may be listed in a different way in the file.

The spelling of the person’s name may be unexpected. Perform the search with Exact matching turned off.

There may be other unexpected information. Look for variations in names, dates, and places.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I contribute to Ancestral File?

Submissions are no longer accepted for Ancestral File. New family history databases should be submitted to the Pedigree Resource File.

How do I correct errors in Ancestral File?

Corrections are no longer accepted for Ancestral File. Corrections should be made to the new FamilySearch Tree.

How accurate is Ancestral File?

The information in Ancestral File is a composite of information from many different contributors which may include some discrepancies and duplication. Some people may have contributed incorrect or incomplete information. Errors may have been introduced when paper submissions were typed into the computer. FamilySearch does not verify the accuracy of information in Ancestral File.

Are living people included in Ancestral File?

Ancestral File does not display information about living people. People born less than 95 years ago who do not have a death date in the file are considered living.

How do I contact submitters to Ancestral File?

For privacy reasons, the online version of Ancestral File does not display personal information about submitters. Instead, Ancestral File displays an identifier composed of parts of submitters' names followed by 7-digit numbers. The CD-ROM version and previous online versions of the Ancestral File displayed submitter names and contact information.

The DOS version of Ancestral File, where available, includes contact information for submitters. The DOS version is currently available on four computers on the 3rd floor of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and in FamilySearch centers.

Many people who submitted information to Ancestral File are now deceased.

What is an Ancestral File Number (AFN)?

An Ancestral File Number was assigned to every record that was published in Ancestral File. If you know the Ancestral File Number, you can use it to search the Ancestral File for the individual. You can also search the new FamilySearch Tree using an Ancestral File Number.

History

1 July 1979

Began accepting submissions. The Ancestral File replaces the 4-generation program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

April 1988

Ancestral File first deployed in the Family History Library with 4 million names.

2 April 1990

FamilySearch DOS published on CD-ROM. Includes Ancestral File with 7 million names.

1993

Ancestral File has grown to 15 million names.

1994

Version 2.31.

24 May 1999

FamilySearch.org debuts, including Ancestral File, which has 35 million names.

4 January 2003

Submissions to the Ancestral File are no longer accepted. Contributors told to submit to the Pedigree Resource File (PRF) instead.

November 2011

New edition with 40 million individuals published on a redesigned www.familysearch.org website.